Florida proposal would bar illegal migrants in the US from attending some colleges

A Florida state lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban illegal migrants from being admitted to some public colleges and universities.

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine proposed the legislation the day after GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to help push President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.

“Is it fair to allow an illegal immigrant to take a spot that could be taken by a Floridian or an American? I would argue no,” Fine said.

Fine’s bill would ban public colleges and universities with an acceptance rate under 85% from admitting students who are in the country illegally, which would include the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida and Florida International University.

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There are an estimated 1.2 million illegal migrants living in Florida, according to the Pew Research Center.

Migrant students in the U.S. illegally can currently qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Fine also recently proposed a bill that would require high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status to pay out-of-state tuition.

During the 2023-2024 school year, about 6,500 migrant students who were in the U.S. illegally qualified for a waiver from paying out-of-state tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute.

Three states prohibit students in the U.S. illegally from enrolling in at least some colleges, while half of states allow these students to qualify for in-state tuition, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

DeSantis scheduled the special session to begin the week after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including for detention and relocation. The governor has said the state must work to support Trump’s promises to tackle illegal immigration and ensure that “we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”

Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, thanked DeSantis for calling a special session, saying “hopefully other Governors will follow!”

But the governor has faced criticism from the legislature’s Republican leaders, who described his call for a special session as “premature” and “irresponsible.”

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Fine is among the Republican lawmakers who have vowed to support Trump and his agenda but have criticized the governor’s push for a special session as rushed.

“This was not accompanied with a robust bill package for us to consider,” Fine told reporters. “You want to call a special session? Give me the bills you want me to vote for.”

Fine, who joined the state Senate in November, is resigning from the legislature, effective March 31, so he can run for the U.S. House seat that is expected to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who was nominated by Trump to be his national security advisor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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